Automatic case determination and assignment

ABSTRACT

In a method and system for automatic case determination and assignment for a business transaction, upon creation of a transaction, a computer system verifies transaction data to determine whether the transaction is assigned to a case. If the transaction is not assigned to a case, the system searches a database for an existing case that is related to the unassigned transaction. If an existing case is discovered, the transaction is automatically assigned to the existing case. If no existing case is found, the system creates a new case, defines new case parameters, and automatically assigns the transaction to the new case.

BACKGROUND

Industries with paperwork-intensive activities typically suffer from ahigh cost associated with maintaining and organizing large amounts ofpaperwork. Such industries may include but are not limited to socialservices and financial services. In social services, a person claimingbenefits, from a government social services program or a private sectoremployer, ordinarily needs to complete an application or otherdocumentation prior to receiving the needed benefit or care. Also, anemployer seeking to recover reimbursements for financial benefits paidout to its employees may have to fill out an application or otherdocumentation. Similarly, in the financial services industry, a personapplying for a credit card or new bank account, among other things, mayhave to fill out an application or other documentation. Also,corporations entering into contracts or providing financial services maygenerate paperwork related to a contract or a service or sales order.Case workers, human resources employees, and financial servicesemployees then read the applications, contracts, or orders and organizeor file them under the appropriate case. In this context, the term“case” may be a general term referring to a centralized holding area,such as in a rudimentary sense a file folder, organized to contain allrelevant information and applications for a specific person, company, ortransaction. For the social services sector, cases also may be organizedby specific benefit applications or by applicants. Following a reviewprocess, social services benefits may be dispensed to the applicantclaiming them, and financial services, such as credit cards or bankaccounts, may be approved.

Databases and electronic applications have improved the efficiency andreduced the amount of paper used by paperwork-intensive industries, suchas social services and financial services. Systems such as a mySAPCustomer Relationship Management (CRM) system or an Oracle E-BusinessSuite CRM system now more efficiently process applications, serviceorders and contracts and organize and maintain the applications, serviceorders, and contracts in cases. An advantage of such systems is thatapplicants may now submit application information electronically,eliminating much of the paperwork. Despite the increased efficiency,case workers and financial services employees still have to determine towhich case an application pertains and manually assign to a case fororganizational purposes. Given that hundreds, if not thousands, of casesmay exist in a database or computer system, manual assignment of anapplication to a case may take up valuable time from a case worker orfinancial services employee. Also, if cases are organized byapplication, multiple or redundant cases may exist in a system for aspecific applicant. Manual assignment of applications to cases likewisemay result in human error causing the accidental creation of redundantcases for a specific person. Multiple or redundant cases have the effectof requiring a case worker or human resources employee to expendedunnecessary additional effort and time when assigning a benefitsapplication to a case.

What is needed instead is a method for automatically determining anapplicable case to which an application is assigned. A method forautomatically assigning the application to the identified applicablecase may also increase the productivity and efficiency of case workersand financial services employees.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a computer network 100 accordingto an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a modular view of the automatic casedetermination and assignment process.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an embodiment for the processing andassignment of a transaction.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating one embodiment for automatic casedetermination and assignment.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating one embodiment for creating a newcase using an automatic case determination and assignment process.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an embodiment for the handling oferrors generated during the automatic case determination and assignmentprocess.

FIG. 7 is an image illustrating one embodiment of a graphical interfacefor the manual assignment of a transaction to a new or existing case.

FIG. 8 is an image illustrating one embodiment of a graphical interfacefor case management.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments of the present invention provide a method and system forautomatic determination of a case and assignment of a businesstransaction to the case. Upon creation of a business transaction, suchas an application for benefits, transaction data is verified todetermine if the transaction is already assigned to a case. If thetransaction does not have an existing assignment, a database is searchedfor an existing case that is related to the transaction. If anapplicable existing case is found, the transaction is automaticallyassigned to the case. If no existing case is found, then a new case iscreated and new case parameters are defined. The transaction is thenautomatically assigned to the newly created case.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a computer system 100 accordingto an embodiment of the present invention. The system 100 may includevarious terminal(s) 110 and server(s) 120 interconnected by acommunication network 130. The server(s) 120 may execute applications122 and operate on application datasets 124 to manage cases. Theterminals 110 may provide communication support with the server(s) topermit operators to interact with the applications and obtain service.As shown in the example of FIG. 1, an employee, such as a case worker ora financial services worker, may interact with a server 120 from a firstterminal 110A to manage cases. Also shown in FIG. 1, an applicant mayinteract with the server 120 from another terminal 110B to apply forbenefits. The application 122 may manage interaction with the terminalssupporting the employee and the applicant as dictated by itsprogramming. The network 130 may support portal-based communication withthe terminals. Various network topologies and system architectures maybe used advantageously with the embodiments described hereinbelow;differences among such topologies and architectures are immaterial tothe present discussion unless otherwise noted.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a modular view of the automatic casedetermination and assignment process. In the network of FIG. 1, aserver(s) 120, such as a database, applications, or file server, maystore application datasets 124. Application datasets 124 may includecase records, business transaction records, such as applications,orders, or contracts, and business transaction types. A case record maybe a centralized location storing one or more business transactionspertaining to a particular individual or company. Within the context ofa CRM system, a business transaction may provide business structures andfunctionality that may be used in different aspects of an enterprise,such as in sales, marketing, or services. In the social servicescontext, a business transaction may represent an application submittedby an individual seeking benefits, such as an application for maternityleave, Social Security benefits, or pension benefits. Similarly, in thefinancial services context, a business transaction may represent anapplication submitted by applicant seeking to obtain a credit card, opena new bank account, or obtain a line of credit.

Each business transaction also may be based on a business transactiontype. Business transaction types may define the characteristics andfeatures of a business transaction. For example, only businesstransactions involving sales orders may be based on the businesstransaction type representing sales orders. Business transaction typesalso may specify the control attributes for a business transaction, suchas procedures for determining what business parties may be listed asbeing involved in the particular business transaction. A businesstransaction type also may control the processing of a specific businesstransaction. For example, applications for illness leave, maternityleave, and pension benefits may each be processed differently.

Each transaction type may also be assigned a case assignment profile205. The case assignment profile may contain protocols for theassignment of a transaction to a new or existing case and protocols forthe creation of a new case. These protocols may be embodied in softwaremodules devoted to case determination and case creation. A casedetermination strategy module may contain predefined or user-definedsearch algorithms in a specific order that search for an existing casefor which to assign a transaction. In the event no existing case isfound, a case creation strategy module may determine whether a new caseis to be created and may define the case attributes of the new case.Case attributes to be defined by the case creation strategy module mayinclude business partners, business partner functions, case type, andcase category.

If an employee submits application data through the portal-basedcommunication network 130 of FIG. 1, the data may be processed andlinked or mapped to a particular transaction type to form a businesstransaction. This newly created transaction containing the applicationdata may then be assigned to a case. Automatic case assignmentprocedures may be initiated by a case assignment profile 205 assigned tothe transaction. The case assignment profile 205 may dictate both howthe database searches for existing cases and how a new case may becreated. A case determination strategy module 210 in the case assignmentprofile 205 may store a listing of one or more case search algorithms touse in searching for existing cases. The order of case search algorithmslisted in the case determination strategy module 210 may dictate theorder in which the algorithms are executed. If a case search algorithmdiscovers an existing case, the transaction may then be automaticallyassigned to the discovered case. Any unexecuted case search algorithmsin the case search determination module 210 may be disregarded upon thediscovery of an existing case.

If no existing case is found, the case assignment profile 205 may employa case creation strategy module 215 to create a new case and define theparameters and characteristics of the new case. The case creationstrategy module 215 may call upon other modules, such as a businesspartner function mapping module 220 and a case type determinationstrategy module 225, to define various new case parameters. The businesspartner function mapping module 220 may define or identify one or morebusiness partners or business partner functions to be assigned to thenew case. In one embodiment, the case creation strategy module may thenassign the business partners or business partner functions identified ordefined by the business partner function mapping module. The businesspartner function mapping module 220 may also define which businesspartners or business partner functions may be used by search algorithmsto find existing cases. Business partners may be individuals with aninterest in the transaction or case, such as an applicant, abeneficiary, or a contact person. A business partner function mayidentify the role of each business partner within the transactionassigned to the new case. For instance, partner A may be assigned as abusiness partner to the new case and may have a business partnerfunction of “Applicant” to indicate that the individual A is theapplicant seeking benefits. If multiple transactions are assigned to acase, it might be possible for a business partner listed in the multipletransactions to retain different business partner functions.

The case type determination strategy module 225 may define a case typeand a case category for a new case. In one embodiment, each new orexisting case may be required to have a defined case type. Case typesserve as a first level of categorization for cases in a system and maycontain various settings, such as an attribute profile, a functionprofile, a status profile, a text profile, and a terminology profile,that store information relating to the case. Case categories may serveas reference categories for a particular case and may constitute asecond level of categorization. Reasons for assigning one or more casecategories to a case include process control and hierarchical reportingfor cases. Examples of case types might be maternity leave or sickleave, whereas a case category might be the hospital or city where theapplicant is giving birth to a child or where the applicant is seekingtreatment for an illness. Given case types and case categories, a searchalgorithm may search for existing cases using these parameters and mayretrieve existing cases with matching case types and/or case categories.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an embodiment for the processing andassignment of transactions. As illustrated, a user 305 may use a browserapplication 310 on a computer system, such as Microsoft InternetExplorer or Mozilla Firefox, to access a portal 310. A portal 310 may bean Internet website offering a broad array of resources and services, inthis case, related to benefits for both the public and private sector.The portal 320 may also communicate with a server 360 such that anyinformation submitted through the portal 320 is operated on byapplications 122, as shown in FIG. 1, resident in the server 360. Thedatabase 355 also may store data submitted through the portal 320 andrelating to applications and cases for multiple individual applicants orcompanies. The server 360 may also execute a case determination andassignment application or module 340, embodied in software, to performthe automatic case determination strategy 350, such as searching forexisting cases or creating new cases, and to assign newly createdtransactions to cases.

A user 305, such as a case worker, employee, or applicant, may create abusiness transaction, such as an application for benefits or anapplication for financial services. The business transaction may bebased on a business object stored within the database. A business objectmay be regarded as a representation of a tangible or intangible object,such as a concept, business process, or triggering event that is used inconjunction with a business application. Industries or areas in which auser may create business transactions include but are not limited tofinancial services and social services, such as public sector benefitsor private employer benefits. In the financial services context,examples of business transactions may include but are not limited tosales, service orders, and contracts. In the social services context,examples of transactions may include but are not limited to maternityleave benefits, illness benefits, or vacation.

In one embodiment, the user 305, such as a case worker, employee, orapplicant, may create a transaction by using a browser application 310to complete an Internet-based creation form or a form based on anExtensible Markup Language (XML) file 325. Data entered in the creationform or XML form may be linked as an application form to a transactiontype based on a business object. If the transaction type linked to thecreation form or XML file contains a case assignment profile, theautomatic case assignment process may be initiated. A Case Determinationand Assignment Module 340 embodied in software and executed by theserver 360 may perform the automatic case assignment process to assignthe transaction to a new or existing case 345. As part of the automaticcase assignment process, the Case Determination and Assignment Module340 may execute an automatic case determination strategy 350 to searchfor existing cases or create a new case.

Alternatively, the user 305 may create a transaction by using thebrowser application 310 to access the portal 320 to communicate with theserver 360. The browser application 310 may communicate with the portal320 through Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) 315, although othercomputer languages, such as Java, may be used in place of HTML. Using agraphical interface, the case worker may manually select an existingcase from the database 355 using application(s) resident on the server360 and create a transaction within an existing case 330. Thetransaction may be automatically assigned and directly linked to thecase 330, thus rendering any case searching unnecessary. In oneembodiment, no case determination strategy (i.e., case search strategy)needs to be maintained in the case assignment profile 205 for the newtransaction because the transaction is already linked and assigned to anexisting case.

In another embodiment, the user 305 may create a transaction by usingthe browser application 310 to access the portal 320 to communicate withthe server 360. In the portal 320, the user 305 may manually create anew transaction based on an existing transaction type 335. If thetransaction type contains a case assignment profile, the CaseDetermination and Assignment Module 340 may initiate automatic caseassignment procedures to assign the transaction to a new or existingcase 345. As part of the automatic case assignment procedures, the CaseDetermination and Assignment Module 340 may perform an automatic casedetermination strategy to search for existing cases using case searchalgorithms 350. If no existing cases are found using case searchalgorithms, the Case Determination and Assignment Module 340 may createa new case and assign case parameters, such as business partners, a casetype, and a case category, to the new case before the assignment of thenew transaction to the new case.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating one embodiment for automatic casedetermination and assignment. Prior to block 420, a businesstransaction, such as an application for employee or citizen benefits oran application for a new bank account or credit card, is created.Transactions may be submitted using XML-based forms or other types ofelectronic or Internet-based forms. In block 420, transaction data maybe verified to determine if the transaction is already assigned to acase. As part of the verification, the transaction type, case type, andcase category of the transaction may be retrieved. In one embodiment, afunction module, embodied in either hardware or software, may be calledby a mySAP CRM system, Oracle E-Business Suite CRM system, or a similarsystem to retrieve the transaction data. Using data representing thetransaction type, a system may check for the presence of a caseassignment profile for the given transaction to determine whether anautomatic case assignment process may be implemented. If a caseassignment profile is not present, the automatic case assignment processends. If a case assignment profile exists for the transaction, thenbefore the automatic case assignment process may begin, the system mayretrieve all cases for the given transaction type and correspondingbusiness object. In one embodiment, a different function module may becalled by a mySAP CRM system, Oracle E-Business Suite CRM system, or asimilar system to retrieve the cases. Based on the results of the caseretrieval, the system may determine whether the transaction is alreadyassigned to a case. If the transaction is assigned to a case, then theprocess ends in block 480.

In block 430, if the transaction is not assigned to a case, theautomatic case assignment process may employ case search algorithms tosearch for an existing case. Each transaction type and correspondingcase assignment profile may employ different case search algorithms orthe same case search algorithms arranged in a different order. Examplesof case search algorithms available may include a “predecessor”algorithm, a “case search” algorithm, and a “customer-defined”algorithm, but are by no means limited to these three algorithms.

In a “predecessor” search algorithm, the search may be performed byanalyzing the document flow of the transaction to determine if apredecessor transaction has been assigned to a case. Document flow mayrefer to a chain of transactions linked together in a business context.For example, if the transaction in question is a transaction entitled“Transaction B” and is a grant of an application for maternity leave,the document flow may reveal a transaction entitled “Transaction A”which is assigned to Case X and is an application for maternity leave.In order to verify that the discovered predecessor transaction is thecorrect predecessor, the system may verify that the transaction type ofthe predecessor transaction matches the transaction type of theunassigned transaction. Once a predecessor transaction is identified,the system may determine the case of the predecessor transaction. In amySAP CRM system, another function module may be called to determine thecase of the predecessor transaction; similar functions may exist and beused by other systems, such as an Oracle E-Business Suite CRM system.Once a case is returned, the system may verify the system status of thecase to ensure the case is not closed. If the case is open, then theunassigned transaction may be assigned to the case.

In a “case search” algorithm, a search for an existing case may beperformed using predefined case parameters, such as case type, casecategory, business partners, and business partner functions. An exampleof a case type may be maternity leave benefit or illness benefit.Examples of a case categories for the case type “illness benefit” may beillness in a special situation (case category A) or normal illness (casecategory B). In one embodiment, in searching for existing cases usingthe predefined search criteria, only cases with a certain case statusmay be retrieved. This may ensure that cases with a closed or inactivestatus are not retrieved. If multiple cases are retrieved, the automaticcase assignment process may notify a case worker in order for the caseworker to manually select the appropriate existing case. Once anexisting case is selected, the transaction may be automatically assignedto the existing case.

In a “customer-defined” algorithm, the system may perform a search foran existing case using customer-defined search criteria. The case workeror customer may use a business rules framework (BRF) to help definesearch criteria. The BRF is an event-controlled runtime environment forprocessing business rules and may be a component of a CRM system. Anynumber of business rules may be assigned to an event, and each businessrule may consist of a Boolean expression and an action. If the Booleanexpression returns a TRUE result, the system may execute the action.Apart from or in addition to the predefined case parameters (e.g. casetype, case category, and business partner), the case worker or customermay provide the system with one or more search criteria in the form ofbusiness rules. Cases may be retrieved using these customer-definedparameters. If an existing case is retrieved in block 440, the newtransaction may be automatically assigned to the existing case in block450.

If no existing case is found in block 440, the automatic case assignmentprocess may create a new case, as illustrated in block 460. As part ofthe automatic case assignment process, the case assignment profile ofthe transaction may be accessed. The case creation strategy stored inthe case assignment profile may be accessed to define how the new casemay be created. In block 470, following the creation of the case, thetransaction may be automatically assigned to the case. The automaticcase determination and assignment process ends in block 480.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating one embodiment for creating a newcase using an automatic case determination and assignment process. Inblock 520, the automatic case determination and assignment process maydetermine whether a new case is being created. If an existing case hasbeen found, the process ends in block 550. If a new case is to becreated, the process proceeds to block 530. In block 530, the caseassignment profile of the transaction may be used to define the casetype and case category parameters for the new case. In addition, theemployee may have the ability to define additional attributes for thenew case, including, but not limited to, the title of the case, adescription of the case, and the priority of the case. In oneembodiment, the case type for the new case may be a mandatory parameterfor the new case. Setting a case type for the new case may be mandatoryin order to facilitate the ability to discover the new case in futurecase searches. In block 540, a main business partner and other businesspartners as well as business partner functions may be assigned to thenew case. The main business partner may be the primary contact of atransaction or an individual with the most interest in the transaction,such as the financial services or social services applicant. The mainbusiness partner to a case may also have its business partner functiondesignated as “main business partner” to indicate his or her role in thecase. Other business partners may be designated as well, such as thename of a contact person for the case or a doctor assigned to treat theapplicant. In block 550, the case creation process ends and thetransaction may be assigned to the new case.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an embodiment for the handling oferrors generated during the automatic case determination and assignmentprocess. In block 610, the system may conduct a search and retrieve anyexisting cases matching the search terms used. If no existing cases areretrieved by the search, then in block 615, a new case may be created.In block 620, the system may determine whether multiple existing casesresult from the search. If only one existing case is retrieved from thesearch, then in block 625, the transaction may be assigned to theretrieved case. If multiple existing cases are retrieved, then in block630, the system may notify the employee by generating an error message.In block 635, the employee may select the appropriate retrieved casefrom the list of multiple cases found and manually assign thetransaction to the selected case. The process ends in block 640.

FIG. 7 is an image illustrating one embodiment of a graphical interfacefor the manual assignment of a transaction to a new or existing case.Using a graphical interface, a Web-based portal may interface thedatabase and server through a network, such as the Internet, or througha terminal with direct access to the database and server. Where multipleexisting cases 710 are found following a case search, the employee maymanually assign the transaction to an existing case. Existing cases 710may be displayed in the graphical interface in a table format. Thegraphical interface may also have button functionality to enable a caseworker to click on the “Create Case” button 720 to manually create a newcase. In one embodiment, multiple user interfaces may be components of amySAP CRM system, and the button functionality may be available in acase management user interface rather than a business transaction userinterface. In one embodiment, upon clicking on the “Create Case” button720 to create a new case, the new case may be added to the table ofexisting cases 710. The employee may highlight the new case or anexisting case and click the “Assign Case” button 730 to manually assignthe transaction to the highlighted case.

FIG. 8 is an image illustrating one embodiment of a graphical interfacefor case management. Through this embodiment of a graphical interface,an employee may manage cases stored in the database. In the casemanagement window, the employee may select a case and view and manageall transactions assigned to the selected case. The employee may alsocreate a new case. By clicking on the “Transactions” tab 810, theemployee may assign a new or existing transaction to the selected case.The employee may also view all transactions assigned to the selectedcase within the “Transactions” tab 810. To create a new case, theemployee may click on the “New” button 820 next to the “Goto” button. Tocreate a new business transaction, the employee may click on the “New”button 830. To manually assign an existing transaction found in the“Transactions” tab 810 or the newly created business transaction to anexisting case, the employee may click on the “Add Entry” button 830.

While the invention has been described with reference to the aboveembodiments, it is to be understood that these embodiments are purelyexemplary in nature. Thus, the invention is not restricted to theparticular forms shown in the foregoing embodiments. Variousmodifications and alterations can be made thereto without departing fromthe spirit and scope of the invention.

1. A computer-implemented method of automatic case determination andassignment, the method comprising: at a server in communication with auser terminal via a network: receiving transaction data submitted fromthe user terminal, the transaction data representing a businesstransaction having a business transaction type from among a plurality ofbusiness transaction types; verifying the transaction data to determineif the transaction is assigned to a case; if no assignment exists,executing a case determination strategy application maintained in a caseassignment profile associated with the business transaction type, thecase determination strategy application storing case search algorithmsfor the business transaction type for searching existing casesmaintained in a database; iteratively searching the database for anexisting case that is related to the transaction using each of thestored case search algorithms associated with the business transactiontype; if an existing case is found during the searching, automaticallyassigning the transaction to the existing case; and if no existing caseis found, creating a new case and defining new case parameters andautomatically assigning the transaction to the new case.
 2. The methodof claim 1, wherein the searching occurs by a transaction predecessoralgorithm.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the searching occurs by acase search algorithm based on predefined case parameters.
 4. The methodof claim 1, wherein the searching occurs by a customer-defined searchalgorithm.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the new case parametersinclude a business partner and a business partner function.
 6. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the new case parameters include a case typeand a case category.
 7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:responsive to a successful existing case search, generating an errormessage if multiple existing cases are found; and manually assigning thetransaction to an appropriate existing case selected from the multipleexisting cases.
 8. The method of claim 1, further comprising: responsiveto a successful existing case search or the new case creation, verifyingthe assignment of a first business partner to the existing case or thenew case; and if no business partner assignment exists, assigning asecond business partner listed in the transaction data to the existingcase or the new case.
 9. A computer-readable storage medium containing aset of instructions, the set of instructions capable of causing acomputer to implement a method comprising: receiving transaction datasubmitted from the user terminal, the transaction data representing abusiness transaction having a business transaction type from among aplurality of business transaction types; verifying the transaction datato determine if the transaction is assigned to a case; if no assignmentexists, executing a case determination strategy application maintainedin a case assignment profile associated with the business transactiontype, the case determination strategy application storing case searchalgorithms for the business transaction type for searching existingcases maintained in a database; iteratively searching the database foran existing case that is related to the transaction using each of thestored case search algorithms associated with the business transactiontype; if an existing case is found during the searching, automaticallyassigning the transaction to the existing case; and if no existing caseis found, creating a new case and defining new case parameters andautomatically assigning the transaction to the new case.
 10. Thecomputer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the searchingoccurs by a transaction predecessor algorithm.
 11. The computer-readablestorage medium of claim 9, wherein the searching occurs by a case searchalgorithm based on predefined case parameters.
 12. The computer-readablestorage medium of claim 9, wherein the searching occurs by a algorithmis a customer-defined search algorithm.
 13. The computer-readablestorage medium of claim 9, wherein the new case parameters include abusiness partner and a business partner function.
 14. Thecomputer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the new caseparameters include a case type and a case category.
 15. Thecomputer-readable storage medium of claim 9, further comprising:responsive to a successful existing case search, generating an errormessage if multiple existing cases are found; and manually assigning thetransaction to an appropriate existing case selected from the multipleexisting cases.
 16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 9,further comprising: responsive to a successful existing case search orthe new case creation, verifying the assignment of a first businesspartner to the existing case or the new case; and if no business partnerassignment exists, assigning a second business partner contained in thetransaction data to the existing case or the new case.
 17. A casedetermination and assignment system, comprising: a database storing datarepresenting an unassigned transaction having a business transactiontype from among a plurality of business transaction types; a case searchmodule storing case search algorithms for each business transaction typefor searching existing cases maintained in a database and operable toiteratively search the database for an existing case that is related tothe unassigned transaction using each of the stored search algorithmsassociated with the business transaction type; a case creation moduleoperable to create a new case, if no existing case related to theunassigned transaction is found; and a case assignment module operableto automatically assign the unassigned transaction to the existing caseor the new case, if no existing case is found.
 18. The casedetermination and assignment system of claim 17, further comprising: acase determination strategy module operable to store case searchalgorithms used by the case search module to search the database. 19.The case determination and assignment system of claim 18, wherein thecase search algorithms include a transaction predecessor algorithm. 20.The case determination and assignment system of claim 18, wherein thecase search algorithms include a case search algorithm based onpredefined case search parameters.
 21. The case determination andassignment system of claim 18, wherein the case search algorithmsinclude a customer-defined search algorithm.
 22. The case determinationand assignment system of claim 17, further comprising: a case creationstrategy module operable to define new case parameters for the new case.23. The case determination and assignment system of claim 17, furthercomprising: a business partner function module operable to: verifyassignment of a first business partner and a first business partnerfunction to the existing case or the new case, if no existing case isfound; and if no first business partner or first business partnerfunction assignment exists, assign a second business partner and asecond business partner function listed in the unassigned transactiondata to the existing case or the new case, if no existing case is found.24. The case determination and assignment system of claim 22, furthercomprising: a case type determination module operable to store aplurality of case types and a plurality of case categories, and assign afirst case type and a first case category as the new case parameters forthe new case.
 25. The case determination and assignment system of claim17, further comprising: an error handling module operable to generate anerror message if multiple existing cases are found, and prompt a user tomanually assign the unassigned transaction to an appropriate existingcase selected from the multiple existing cases.